Lafitte allegedly had a necklace Clardy said was his and had been in an argument with him for a long time about his dogs, the warrant states.
DALLAS — A former North Texas officer has been arrested for allegedly murdering her neighbor in connection to a dispute about a necklace, according to Tarrant County Judge Patricia Summers.
Former Dallas Police officer Cathryn Lafitte has been charged and arrested for the murder of her neighbor, Jamarlon Clardy.
Investigators said Lafitte, 43, shot Clardy, 46, once in the back and once in the upper abdomen, based on crime scene photographs. This allegedly happened after he knocked on Lafitte’s front door to ask about getting back a necklace Clardy said was his.
A bond has not yet been set for Lafitte. The Dallas Police Department did not have a statement on the arrest as of Thursday afternoon.
On Aug. 2, 2022, a little after 6 p.m., the Fort Worth Police Department received a call about a shooting at 5515 Goodman Ave. in Fort Worth, which is northwest of Texas Christian University and south of Westworth Village.
Officers got to the scene around 6:30 p.m. and found Clardy lying in the front yard and appearing to have been shot, according to the arrest warrant. Clardy was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
While on the scene, investigators found multiple cartridge casings near the front door of the house. The warrant says a witness and Lafitte remained on the scene to speak with detectives.
Detectives talked to the witness, who police are not naming at this time. She said she was in a relationship with Clardy. Detectives talked with her about what happened before and after the shooting.
According to the unnamed woman, she told investigators she was in a relationship with Clardy. She said they had gone to the address on Goodman Avenue, where Lafitte was, the week before the shooting to get a necklace allegedly taken from Clardy.
Lafitte had the necklace and had been in an argument with Clardy for a long time about his dogs, according to the unnamed woman.
While Lafitte had allegedly been texting Clardy for several days about getting the necklace back to him, the unnamed woman said Clardy believed Lafitte was “playing games” because the necklace was never where Lafitte claimed to have left it.
On the day of the shooting, Clardy allegedly knocked on Lafitte’s door before she opened it and shot Clardy, according to the unnamed woman. Lafitte then ran away and called 911 from a nearby home.
The unnamed woman allegedly recorded audio of the incident. When investigators listened to it, they could hear the door open, Clardy ask for his necklace, the door shut, the door reopen, and finally gunshots.
When investigators spoke with Lafitte later that night, she described the incident differently than the unnamed woman.
After Lafitte opened the door, she told investigators Clardy said “you hurt my neck” and lunged at her. She also said she grabbed her gun and shot “until she ran out,” according to the warrant.
Lafitte admitted to shooting at the unnamed woman as she ran away. She told investigators she believed that woman was an unknown suspect from a previous assault and shot because she had not been identified. Clardy is her neighbor who she’s had a problem with about his dogs, the warrant says.
The referenced assault allegedly stems from Lafitte trying to take pictures of Clardy’s dogs. Lafitte had two black eyes, which she said she reported to police were injuries from this assault.
Lafitte said she never shut the front door and that Clardy “bum rushed her.” She also said she shot because she was “in fear for her life.”
A week after the shooting, police were able to look at some video shot on Clardy’s cell phone. Investigators said this video shows Clardy trying to get his necklace.
In the video, it allegedly shows the front door cracking open before Clardy asks for his necklace back. The door then closes, reopens and Lafitte is standing in the doorway pointing a gun at Clardy. Multiple gunshots are then heard, according to the warrant.
Investigators said the video does not show Clardy lunging at the door nor trying to open it.
Over the course of the investigation, the warrant said investigators confirmed Clardy and Lafitte had an “ongoing dispute” about his dogs. They also determined video evidence was not consistent with Lafitte’s statement.